Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Seems like it's been forever since I wrote a post or baked bread. Since the beginning of August I have sold my mother's house, moved her furniture, helped her with several ER visits and multiple doctor visits, bought my own house, moved my belongings, and continued to work two jobs. After over six weeks, I still haven't found my dishes. The movers successfully buried them in the midst of a mountain of heavy boxes, whose contents I don't need at the moment. It took about four weeks to locate baking gear, six to find some glassware, and six to find my comforter, just in time for cool weather.

I did bake the coconut rolls featured in September, using the ancient oven in my rental place. I probably won't post them, but I will share a photo. They were very tasty and worth baking.

I missed October: bagels. But, I will fit them in before the end of the year.

In my new home, I inherited a large Wolf gas range. Very pleased about that. Although I'm not a fan of gas ovens, this one is performing beyond expectations. For baking purposes, I will have to keep an eye on the temperature, since I believe it's running a little hot. So, while I successfully baked the Pain Bouillie, and it looks nearly perfect, after 65 minutes in the oven, it still wasn't baked through inside. Boo hiss. I even covered the top with foil to keep it from turning too black.

I would bake it again, but I need to replenish my supply of cracked rye. With all the microbreweries in the area, it shouldn't be too difficult.

Back to the bread. It is Kelly's first selection as a Babe. It really is a bread worth baking -- just watch that oven temperature and baking time. (Also, use an instant-read thermometer to check the bread. This one time I didn't. I thought the 'thump' sounded ok, but I was sure wrong.)

So, if you want to be a Buddy this month, head over to Kelly's website to get the recipe, read her helpful tips, and see how delicious this bread looks. Send your story and photos to her by November 30 to be included in the roundup.